Fractions of a Group

Search my site:

Share this page!

Here are some examples of how a write a fraction out of a group of items.

The top number (numerator) comes from the number of items you want.

The bottom number (denominator) comes from the total number of items in the group.

There are 2 animals cards and a total of 5 cards.

The fraction we want is 2 out of 5.

There is only 1 plant card and a total of 4 cards.

The fraction we want is 1 out of 4.

There are 2 vehicle cards (the car and the ship) and a total of 6 cards.

The fraction we want is 2 out of 6.

Use common objects to test your child. Let your child test you. This exercise also helps your child understand how to categorize objects.

I have 10 sweets. My brother ate 3 sweets and I ate 4. What fraction of my sweets did we eat altogether?

Think about:

2. A group of 8 children attended a party. 3 of them are girls. What fraction of the children who attended the party are boys?

Think about:

3. Alan bought a cake. He cut it into 9 equal pieces and ate 2 pieces. What fraction of the cake is left?

Think about:

What is the total number of equal pieces of cake (this number becomes the denominator)
What is number of pieces of cake not eaten (this number becomes the numerator)

4. I have 2 pencils. My sister has 5 pencils. What fraction of my sister's pencils are my pencils?

Think about:

We are comparing my pencils to my sister's pencils
My sister's number of pencils is the total (this number becomes the denominator)
My number of pencils becomes the numerator

5. Sam has five-sixths as many sweets as Caitlin. Who has more sweets?

Think about:

Sam's number of sweets are being compared to Caitlin's sweets so Caitlin's number of sweets is the denominator (6 sweets)
Sam's number of sweets is the numerator (5 sweets)